


Mind Games

by Smok3dToyst



Series: Sparklings IDW Verse [3]
Category: The Transformers (Cartoon Generation One), The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Avoidant Personality Disorder, Male Friendship, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Original Character(s), Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4683488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smok3dToyst/pseuds/Smok3dToyst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kamikaze has been using his favorite little sparkling to get away from hiding from some of his issues. And maybe even run a little bit away from living. Some of his other sparklings decide something must be done about this and take action.<br/>This was a drabble turned two drabbles rolled into one from CavalierConvoy and StrikePrime!<br/>Bedlam, Cavalier, Felis, Artemis, and Intimidator are property of Cavalier Convoy, fic is set in her adjacent Sparklings Universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mind Games

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Strike_Convoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strike_Convoy/gifts), [CavalierConvoy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavalierConvoy/gifts).



Kami couldn't help but glance over to the little black sparkling climbing up his back with a smile. "You can be a life saver sometimes little guy..." He commented lightly with a chuckle as he moved his hand up to pat their helmet on the head as Bedlam struggled to climb onto his should for the time being. 

He didn't expect a reply, not really. Ratchet had explained that it was far too common for a cybertronian to start moving before their brain module even had a plan of action, let alone a sparkling such as his ward at the moment. It didn't really matter to Kami. Bedlam let him talk without judgment and in his opinion the small-former knew more then he let on.

It just seemed too coincidental in his opinion that the smaller bot would always find him when he needed an excuse to back out. Being a cybertronian was hard, especially when what few memories he had of being alive before the shell he found himself in. It was even harder in a ship filled with people just used to being... like this. 

He frowned at the thought for just a moment, trying not to let it dig its way into the well of energy that was... well... his spark. An absentminded footstep from bedlam quickly changed the mood, a magna-wheel rubbing against a sensitive panel on his side. He started to laugh for a moment in surprise before looking up at the triumph climber on top of his head. 

"Did great so far Bedlam, I think you beat your last time by a few micro seconds." He beamed up at the sparkling. A chuckle from the door tried to pull his attention away but he ignored it. Felis couldn't help it, it was a bit silly. Even Ratchet acknowledged it would be a while before Bedlam was picking up complex sentences but that didn't matter to him. Bedlam never flinched away from him, not even once. 

Even when he was performing his 'infamous' magic trick, the young sparkling just laughed and clapped in amusement. Before grabbing Kami's head and scrambling away giddily in vehicle mode, mind you. But it was still a fun chase and even now, every once in a while he'd let them get away with it for the simple and easy chase it provided. And it always gave him practice in manipulating his own alt mode as well.

Bedlam looked back down with a toothy grin before replying "High!" At least that was what he assumed was the case, but Bedlam could have been very well greeting him with an amused 'hi' if he considered it. All that would have been a welcome musing over the thoughts drifting through his head as he realized Felis and one other sparkling mech had entered the room. This was not good, Felis and Tim on their own was easy to deal with. 

Easy to talk into letting him spend some quality time with the small sparkling on his head. It made it so one or the other could sneak out of having to do the same every so often. Made it easier to hide from his own anxiety. But the fact that both of them came at once seemed to suggest they had other plans this night. "Uh... hey guys... what's... " He paused for a moment, scrambling for some cybertronian term he could use to hide his unease. "scrapping?" 

Tim tilted his head slightly to the right, raising an eye-ridge. "Nothing really. It's Game Night Kami, Trailbreaker told us to come get you." He seemed... suspicious. Did they know? He thought he had a solid alibi in watching the young one. Who wouldn't want a break away from Bedlam when they were being a little pit spawn? And it wasn't like Kami had many other duties on the ship... the sound of nibbling distracted Kami from his paranoia as he realized that Bedlam was chewing on one of the nubs out of the back of his head.

Felis snerked, hand on his face-plate as he struggled not to laugh at the sight. Kami just groaned and rubbed his face in exasperation. "But I'm supposed to watch Bedlam, I promised Arty I would." He managed to mutter softly to the two bots. "They're my responsibility." He stated. That he was also his escape from things like this was the one thing he didn't want anyone to know. 

It was bad enough when his brain module issues got so bad that only the thought of Rewind's judgemental stare kept him from asking his partner Chromedome to take it -away-. It would be quite another for everyone to realize he was possibly crazier then they had thought. That sometimes he remembered more then he let on, that he knew things that he -shouldn't-. Like the access codes to Hot Rod's office. Or the numbingly painful sensation of data jacks installed into one's spine.

He shook his head again, trying to shake the thought from his head. This was exactly why he avoided these things, one thought running into another and triggering things that in his opinion sometimes should have just stayed dead. He realized for a moment that Felis had been talking while he was struggling to push back the bad memories. "I'm sorry, what was that Felis?" He asked, looking in his direction. 

"He's coming too. Trail had Ratchet make a specialty interface and everything. He'll be nice and safe with the rest of us my friend." The slightly larger mech commented with a chuckle as he managed to sweep an arm around the car-former and tug him for the door. Tim followed suit behind them, as if to cut off Kami's escape. "Come on Kami, live a little... you don't want to stay in a force bubble your whole life do you?" He added with a light smirk, giving Kami the kind of look that said he knew exactly what Kami was trying to do.

Kami gulped in response, unsure of what to do. Bedlam was on his back, even with his little magna-wheels he didn't want to take the chance of knocking them off. If he ran, all they would do is chase him... and that would attract even more attention. "Felis, you don't know... this isn't a good thing, please." He struggled to think of a way to plead without looking more pathetic. "I'm not ready for this, I don't know if I'll ever be ready for this." They continued down the corridor past the bar known as Swerves. Great, just what he needed, more people to see him act like a coward...

"Kami, Kami, Kami... you really think we'd set you up for something 'Arty' didn't think you'd be ready for? Come on, we specially ordered this just for you, cross my spark and hope to rust." Felis attempted to sooth his friend, but it just seemed to agitate him even further. Kami seemed to be devolving into stuttering as he struggled for some excuse. Something other then the truth, that he might lash out if this continued to it's foregone conclusion.

A large hand placed itself on Kami's shoulder, shocking him out of his self-indulged panic. Tim waited for the car-former to calm down before he spoke, keeping his tone calm and measured. "Kami, it will be fine. Just wait and see what we have in store before you judge... if you still want to leave, I will escort you back to your room." It jarred Tim just how much he had let slip by of his young friend's condition. It had been all too easy to just think he was like the rest of the crew, just a little eccentric.

But Tim had examined the records after their previous talk with Spinout. They were actually in plain sight if a sparkling knew the right places to look after all. It made so much more sense out of how some of the others had treated the sparkling. They didn't want to remind him of what he wasn't ready for but he had to face some of his fears if he was going to get any help. And he wanted to help Kami as he would have wanted to be helped when he first met his coder. 

Kami just looked back up at him for a moment fearful. Tim worried for a second it meant he would run, but his features managed to revert to a neutral expression. "Alright Tim... I'll... I'll try." He managed to spit out before looking down to the ground and rubbing a digit against the side of his helmet that Bedlam wasn't still nibbling on. Neutral wasn't perfect... but it was better then the fear he had seen on Kami's face. Tim could live with that if he needed to.

As they entered the next room, a small white minibot looked up and away from the large monitor set up across the room. She managed to beam in the four's direction as she pushed herself up. "Kami! You managed to make it!" She squeed as she headed over and hugged her fellow car-former. Kami blushed at the contact and managed to relax a little bit. Touching was good, touching meant there was someone there to watch out for you other then what your eyes could tell you.

"I uh... yeah, I guess I did." He managed to squeak out before noticing the femme and mech glancing in their direction from the back of the monitor. Artemis and Trailbreaker seemed to be setting up... something? on the monitor. Something that looked even familiar as Kami focused his optics on the bundle of wires being held in Trailbreaker's mouth as he tried to finish his work. That was new, technology looking familiar to his addled brain. That usually only happened when it involved something horrible from Brainstorm's lab. "Didn't really get much of a choice."

Cav giggled to herself before grabbing her hand and pulling him over to the chairs. "Wasn't really supposed to. We put all the effort into this new game, Brainstorm may have even gotten a few ideas from the source material. So don't get surprised if there's a fresh new belt waiting for you in the next few cycles." She exclaimed as Kami stumbled forward after her. Artemis moved over to a chair nearby and sat down, watching them both with an amused smile.

Artemis spoke up first of the two older cybertronians. "Finally managed to make it down I see." She responded warmly, even as she pulled Bedlam from the smaller mech's back carefully. By this point Bedlam had miraculously seemed to wear down for once. Kami was a little surprised by this as he watched Artemis set the youngling down carefully in the chair next to her. It was a small miracle that all his whining and complaining hadn't winded Bedlam up though a part of himself considered the bizarre notion that it had been but white noise to the sparkling. He had heard of weirder things. Still, he managed to gasp in surprise as what exactly they had been working on came into view.

It looked like a gamecube. A heavily modified gamecube, implemented with a great deal of cybertronian tech but a gamecube all the same. Large built for cybertronian hands controllers lay on the ground in front of it, enough for everyone gathered to play. No neural cables, nothing even close to the fears he had for 'game night' were left in sight. He couldn't help but blink for a moment in confusion as his mind registered Cavalier's statement. "Yeah I just... wait, new game?... what?..." He managed to gasp in surprise staring at the machine.

Cavalier helped him over to a chair before sitting down. "Come on Kami, you really think we're going to do something you wouldn't have fun with? I've seen you with that little handheld you had Brainy rig you up. I dared old brainy to come up with a new beat them up combining that smash game with that other henshin game you like." She responded, even as the screen lit up with Trailbreaker prepping the last connection. A video showing a number of armor suited individuals clashing across the screen with orange slice sabers and other 'kawaii' weapons as he watched.

"I... really?" Kami asked softly, unsure what to make of this but grateful all the same. Felis and Tim had been right to bring him here. This was something he could handle. For all his worries of the crew knowing just how messed up he was, it seemed they knew better then he thought they did on how to handle it. "But why? You didn't really need to do this guys. This is way.. way more then I needed."

"Sparks and Brain Modules it is Kami." Artemis interjected. "You didn't need it but I'm sure you wanted something familiar and this was the best thing we could put together in Cav's opinion. No thinking today, we are just going to have some good old-fashioned fun, you got me?" She added with a smirk before picking up a controller and playfully socking him in the elbow joint. "This is family time, whether you 'need it' or not." It was about time the sparkling just accepted the situation as it was. 

He smiled for a moment before picking up a controller, even as the others headed over and found their own positions. "Ok, ok, you've made your point 'mom'." He paused for effect and was pleased to see a small smile creep across Artemis's face. It was true really, his coder and carrier didn't matter. This was his family here, through slag or high water. He needed to enjoy the moment. "And you're on." He managed to respond with a smile as the others picked up the remaining controllers. This was going to be fun.


End file.
